Karen Alice Juten

Karen Cornett was born in El Paso, TX.  She grew up enjoying hunting and fishing with her parents and older brothers.  The family moved to Oxnard when she was ten, and Karen developed a lifelong love of the ocean.  She graduated from UC Santa Barbara in Agricultural Biology.  She worked as an Inspector for the LA County department of Agriculture.  She then studied Environmental Health at Cal State Northridge.  She married Christopher Juten in 1983 and became a homemaker.  She has four children and nine, soon to be ten, grandchildren. She loved being a mother and grandmother.

Once her children were older, she obtained her teaching degree and credential at Sac State.  She taught science at Center USD and then substituted in Sacramento City USD for many years.

She lived a life of faith.  She loved singing in the choir.  She was a lector.  She coordinated a women’s Bible study at St. John Vianney for eight years.  She attended daily Mass and the rosary group for many years until she became ill.  The greatest cross of her five year battle with cancer was her inability to go to daily Mass.  She worked tirelessly for pro-life, coordinating 40 Days for Life campaigns and spending countless hours praying at abortion clinics.  She regularly visited our legislators promoting pro-life and pro-family legislation.  She started a Charismatic healing prayer group for our parish.

Karen lived life to the full.  She had many interests:  ballroom dancing, swimming, camping, fishing, urban gardening, cooking, wine making, art, singing, bridge and other games, sewing, and politics.  She coached and refereed soccer for her children’s teams.  She loved to work with her hands—everything from replacing the water pump on her car, to building a chicken coop, or tiling the bathroom.

She tried to make our state and country better through her work with Sacramento Republican Assembly, Sacramento Republican Women’s Federated, Sacramento Republican Central Committee, and Capitol Conservative Women.   She actively helped campaign for conservative candidates.  She supported our troops through coordinating the donation of tens of thousands of dollars of supplies to deployed soldiers.

She is survived by her husband, Christopher and her children Richard (Stefanie), Kathleen (John), Janet (Justin), and Joseph (Samantha).   Her grandchildren are Emma, Katelyn, Sofia Grace, Anna Neriman, Myra Hadiye, Zoey, Kinsley, Thomas, James, and Josie.  She is also survived by her mother, Alice Orr, and her brothers Matthew Cornett (Kira) and Duane Cornett (Carol), and niece, Dawn Coultrap (Jason) and nephew, Kevin Cornett.  She is preceded in death by her father, Louis Cornett, and her nephew, Andrew Cornett.

Karen will be deeply missed.